Rise of the Ebon Hand
by Laclipsey
Summary: Life was always simple for Lee and Jayden River... Before the hooded men attacked. Why did they come? What did they want? As they embark on a quest to find these answers, they will find themselves caught up in a dark plot they never wanted any part of.
1. Prologue: From the Dark

I do not own Fire Emblem or any related characters or ideas. This is, however, an original story with original characters. It takes place on Elibe, just because I was too lazy to come up with names for a continent and all of its territories. However, the fact that it is Elibe does not mean that the Fire Emblem is necessarily the same object that it was in Fire Emblem 7. Anyway, enjoy.

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**Prologue: From the Dark**

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The assassin settled into the shadows, silently drumming his hands on the hilt of one of the blood-drenched daggers at his hip. His gaze swept cleanly over the alleyway below, coming to rest on the light flowing through the crack in the back alley doorway. There were voices coming through the gap. Familiar voices. They were too muffled to discern individual words or phrases, but there was no mistaking the identities of the owners… There was no doubt about it. This was the place.

Making sure to stay hidden, the man silently crept closer along the edge of the roof. His footsteps were no louder than those of a deer, and his breathing came slow and steady. He went undetected as he settled into his new hiding place, on the roof and just past the light of the door. The voices were becoming clearer. He listened to the conversation as he waited for his quarry to emerge from the building…

"So this is what he's been planning all along," said one voice. A male voice. "I can't believe it."

"What's more," said another voice, a woman this time. "The plan is already in its final stages. At this point, there's little we can do to stop it, short of going to King Iapetus himself."

"Exactly right. And that's not an option," said a third, which came cool and very serious, with plenty of composure. "We lack the evidence he needs to take serious action, and if we come forward with what we've pieced together as is, we will certainly lose all credibility."

"Effectively defeating any chance we have of putting a stop to all of this," finished the second voice.

"Blast it all!" said the first voice, his tone now angry. "You, the Arcane Protectors… You, of all people should have seen this coming. You should never have let him join you!"

"Quiet, fool!" the woman hissed. "You want someone to hear you?"

"At this point I don't think it much matters who hears us or who knows who we really are," said the man indignantly. "We're all doomed as it is, aren't we?"

"Don't be so quick to give up, Captain," said the woman. "That's why we're here, isn't it?"

"I… suppose so," the captain conceded reluctantly.

"Besides that, it won't do us any good now to whine over what cannot be changed. Or to point fingers."

"Valkyrie is right," came the third voice, its serenity at odds with the growing tension in the room. "We did our duty as part of the Arcane Protectors by letting him join us. What that man did is unforgivable, but that is not why we are here. Let us now discuss what is to be done in the future, not what has happened in the past."

"Yes…" said the captain's voice. "You're right, of course. My sincerest apologies, Sage."

"No worries, Captain," said the one called Sage. "Now, as we are far too short-staffed to really do anything about this without outside assistance, I propose that we bring what we have to the survivors of the slaughter and try to convince them to lend us their strength. Certainly they of all people will be willing to take up arms against the men who laid waste to their homes."

"It seems a viable option," said the woman, known in code as Valkyrie. "However, it does pose a new problem. If we plan to tell them everything we've discovered, we might meet with some resistance."

"What do you mean?" said Sage.

"I mean if we let them know the whole story about that man, including his involvement with the Protectors, they may be slow to trust us."

"Ah, good point. Well, I suppose we could withhold that detail for their benefit."

"They'll have to find out sooner or later," said the woman. "And it will be seen as treacherous when they do."

Sage sighed. "Then for the lives of our countrymen, that's the price that must be paid. I personally see no other course of action we can take."

Silence.

"So it's decided," said Sage after a time. "Captain, may I request that you lend me a small troupe I can disperse to the nearest villages, and supplies for the journey?"

"Not possible, Sage," said the captain. "I'm sorry, but now more than ever, I have to keep the watch on duty. And as of this newest report I feel I may be short staffed as it is. I can give you supplies, but nothing more."

"I understand. I suppose Valkyrie and I will have to scrounge up some more supporters."

"Best find a bodyguard for you, too, Sage," added Valkyrie. "These are dangerous times."

"All right, then," said Sage, with a touch of finality in his voice. "If either of you've nothing to add, I think that about takes care of tonight's business."

"Very well," said the woman's voice, accompanied by the ruffling of standing up. "Thank you, Sage, for this report. Your intelligence network has once again proved more useful than I had initially foreseen."

"I'm happy to hear you say so," said Sage as he, too, stood up and evidently gathered some documents. "As always, I'll keep you informed about what's happening in Etruria, and I'll give you both the time and location for our next meeting later."

"Glad to hear it," said the Captain. "Shall we go?"

"Certainly," said Sage.

Moments later the door opened, and out stepped three people, all of them dressed in hooded brown robes to mask their faces. The assassin gripped his daggers more tightly, but retained his composure.

"You two go on ahead," said Sage, motioning the other two past him. "I have a number of things to check on before I leave."

"All right, but don't stay too late," said the captain. "And be careful. We're depending on you now, Sage. And I've heard strange stories lately on the watch."

A smile from the first, and the other two were gone. Even so, Sage waited afterward for several long heartbeats before removing his hood, revealing short-cut brown hair and almost regal features.

"You can come out now," he said into the darkness, his emerald eyes strong but watchful. "I am alone."

Though tempted to remain in his current position to deter any watching eyes, the assassin leaped silently from the roof and landed on one knee on the ground, daggers in his hands in the blink of an eye.

"I should have known Themesto and his ilk would be sending assassins after me at this point in their plan," said Sage, looking mildly surprised. "But I never would have guessed that they'd send you… Atlas."

"You look well, Isaiah," said the assassin, but his tone was frigid.

"Looks are often deceiving," said the sage, shrugging his shoulders. "You've caused me no small amount of trouble over the past few months."

"I take it you're aware of what he is planning to do," said Atlas, his tone final, yet questioning.

"Keenly," said Isaiah, eyeing the assassin with a piercing glare.

And for a long moment the two stared at one another, neither one so much as moving a muscle. The air seemed to grow colder as the two stood in arctic silence. After a time, Isaiah spoke.

"I suppose your presence here means that my time has come," he said. "Bear in mind I'll not go down without a fight."

"Save your breath," said Atlas, sheathing his bloodstained daggers. "I had a job in the area and thought I'd drop by. Today I come to you as a messenger."

Isaiah's expression changed little, but nevertheless seemed to take on a look of intense interest.

"And what tidings do you bring?" he said cautiously.

"You know what he plans to do, what he aims to accomplish. You, more than anyone should understand how important it is that you get yourself out while you can. There isn't much time."

Isaiah's eyes narrowed. "You came to tell me that? You know my answer already, Atlas. Knowing what I know, there's no way I can turn tail and flee. I cannot abandon my countrymen. Not now. Not while I still draw breath."

Atlas bowed his head as he turned to leave. "Do as you will, I've delivered my message. Fare thee well… Brother."

Isaiah watched as the assassin rounded the corner and vanished from sight, and he stared at the spot where he had been for several long moments before shaking himself from his semi-daze and turning to lock the door.


	2. Chapter 1: Blood and Tears

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**Chapter 1: Blood and Tears**

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The forest was unpleasantly humid in the intense rays of the late afternoon sun, and Jayden River was beginning to tire.

"Jude…" she panted, out of breath and close to collapsing. "Can we… stop now? Just for… a bit?" Jude Dominic, her teacher, cocked his head and graced her with a wry smile, indicating mock disappointment. But Jayden knew better. Jude was a very strict teacher, but one wouldn't know it from simply being around him when he wasn't training.

"Had enough already, Jayden?" he said, showing no signs of even the slightest fatigue. "Forgive me. When I took you on as my student I had every expectation that you were willing to endure any sort and any length of training. Am I to assume my trust was misplaced?"

Jayden summoned the last reserves of her energy, firming her grip on her wooden training sword and settling into her fighting stance.

"No sir!" she said loudly.

"Now, come at me! And watch for my first blow!"

To look at her, one wouldn't know that Jayden was actually a proficient swordswoman. She stood at average height for a girl of 19, with long brown hair drawn back by a ragged headband, and brownish green eyes that exuded sheer determination. She wore tattered green pants and a top comprised of white bandages. At her hip was the battered sword Jude had given her when they first started training, almost a year ago.

Jude, though not much older, looked every bit the competent swordsman. Standing tall with a moderate build, he had long blond hair and ocean blue eyes, and had the beginnings of a beard growing at his chin. He wore a dark coat over his swordmaster's robes, and he kept his own sword in plain view, prominently riding his left hip.

For a long time Jude had watched his future pupil train with her brother, Lee. Lee was an extremely gifted swordsman in the village guard, and Jayden had shown promise even when sparring against him. Several years earlier, Jude had left their village and trained under some of the most skilled sword masters in Lycia, and had come back with a polished fighting style all his own. A style Jayden had very much wanted to learn. And with persistence, she had convinced 29-year-old Jude Dominic to take on a pupil.

Jayden charged her teacher, watching his sword out of the corner of her eye. Halfway there, Jude raised his weapon for a horizontal blow. She moved her sword to an appropriate blocking position and in no time at all her blade and Jude's clashed.

Taken aback by the force of the first blow, Jayden didn't see the next one coming less than a second later. Jude's sword came at her on her left side, where she had carelessly left herself open.

But her teacher stopped his blade, less than an inch from her shoulder.

"Had we been enemies on the field of battle," said Jude, withdrawing his blade and stepping back. "That mistake would have cost you your life."

Jayden stepped back, frowning at the ease with which he had beaten her.

"Come on, now," she said, stepping back. "You can't go all-out on a novice like me."

"If I don't, how will you learn to fight when you're outclassed in a real battle? If you can't absorb my blows by blocking, dodge them!"

Jayden drew a breath and once again ran at Jude. The distance to cover was smaller this time, so there was less time for Jude to react. Just before reaching him, she fell to the ground and rolled under his initial horizontal swipe and around to his back. She came out of her maneuver with a swing at his ankles.

Jude jumped to avoid Jayden's attack and countered by thrusting his blade directly toward her. But Jayden swung her blade to misdirect it and came out of the parry with another blow of her own, which was skillfully blocked by Jude's sword.

At that moment the air grew cold. A sudden chill ran down Jayden's spine, accompanied by a sudden tiredness that made her feel almost like collapsing. Disconcerted, she let down her weapon and backed away from her teacher. Once she had regained her senses, she cast a confused look at Jude, whom she noticed was a bit fatigued, himself.

"Jude, was that…?" her voice trailed off.

"I don't know," said the sword master, casting a wary glance skyward. "But I have a hunch."

Jayden followed his gaze. The sky had grown suddenly darker, though it wasn't even dusk yet, not to mention that she and Jude hadn't been training for more than an hour. It was a strange, unnatural twilight that now seemed to weigh her down.

When she looked back at her teacher, his face was white. And suddenly she knew that something was very wrong.

"Come on," said Jude as he took off down the trail toward their village. "Bring your sword."

Though thoroughly confused, Jayden tossed her training sword aside and hurriedly grabbed her cloak from where it lay. With an effort, she ran after her teacher, pulling on her cloak and securing her real sword to her hip as she went. Whatever this was, it was certainly more pressing than training.

"Jude, what happened?" she shouted ahead.

Jude didn't answer. In a way, it was more disconcerting than any answer he could have given her. But she pressed on even so, struggling to catch up to her teacher, and wondering what could possibly be going on.

Certainly their training hadn't triggered this sudden change in weather. And she didn't understand why Jude had looked so gravely serious when he had looked back at her just then. But she knew him well enough to know when to simply act on faith.

An icy wind chilled her body, bringing her thoughts to the present. She pulled her cloak tightly around herself to keep warm, but the cold only seemed to grip her more tightly. So she quickened her pace instead, trying to keep her imagination in check.

When they reached the village, they both slowed their pace.

It wasn't how Jayden had imagined it. There seemed to be no emergency at all. Everything was in place. Except for one thing.

The village, typically bustling and full of life, was completely and utterly deserted, and totally silent save for the chilly wind blowing through the streets. Odd, indeed. There was an eerie feeling about the air, as if the village had been abandoned for years. Jayden drew her cloak more tightly around herself as she stopped behind her teacher.

"Jayden, be very careful," said Jude, unsheathing his real sword and glancing warily left and right. "Come on."

As Jude cautiously advanced, Jayden briefly thought of pointing out to him that it was abundantly clear that something was amiss, but the thought lasted only a moment before more important things filled her mind. She followed him slowly.

"Maybe everyone went inside because of the cold?" Jayden offered hopefully. But even as she said it, she knew that it wasn't the case. Only wishful thinking.

"No," Jude confirmed grimly. "That wind isn't natural. It came from inland."

"What do you mean? It's… just the weather, right? What's the rush?"

"You saw how quickly the wind came," said Jude quietly. "You know as well as I do that this isn't natural weather. This is magic."

"Magic?" Jayden echoed. "But I've never heard of any magic that can do this. I mean, there's wind and ice magic, but usually it's a lot flashier, and… "

"You would do well to pay attention to your history class," Jude said vacantly, his eyes darting cautiously left to right.

"History, Jude?"

"Surely you've learned of the ancient forbidden magic, Jayden?"

"You mean what they call dark magic? You mean this…" Jayden's voice trailed off. There was no need to finish.

Jude nodded. "It would seem so, yes."

For a long moment Jayden simply stood there, a million thoughts racing through her mind. Ancient offensive magic was often called dark magic, commonly feared and rarely used. Where other schools of magic had found practical everyday use, dark magic was used only to kill. If this was ancient magic, where were the casters? And more importantly, why was it being cast?

Instantly she took off at a run, hardly hearing Jude's protests. Blind to every other thought, she could only think of one thing: to find her family. To find _someone_.

Anyone.

All sense of time seemed to escape her as she dashed through the streets. She didn't know how long she ran, every thought geared toward finding a single living soul. At length she felt a hand grab her shoulder, and she spun around to face its owner, her sword at the ready…

But it was only Jude.

"Jayden! Listen to me! Do you hear that?"

Jayden heard nothing through the torrent of thoughts rushing through her mind. "Calm down," Jude urged her. "Whatever is going on, you won't be able to help if you're not calm. Now, take a few deep breaths."

Reluctantly, Jayden complied. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Basic breathing techniques, the way Jude had taught her so long ago. And now that her mind was clear, she could hear the sound Jude had pointed out.

A distant murmuring reached her ears, almost a whisper, and yet it filled the air. A chill ran down her spine, and she visibly shivered.

"Come on," her teacher said as he sidled along the wall of a nearby hut. Jayden joined him and followed him to the corner of the hut. Jude cautiously cast a look around the corner, then looked back at Jayden, his expression only just readable enough for her to know that something had happened.

Crouching low, she crept past him and peered around the corner…

And froze.

Littering the streets were the limp and motionless bodies of dozens of people. Each of them dead. And each of them a familiar face. The entire village lay slaughtered, their corpses carelessly laying like rag dolls across the dirt road.

And marching through the streets was an uncountable number of chanting robed men, their faces hidden beneath the shadow of their hoods. Their unknowable anthem filled the air, seeming to come from every direction at once and accompanied by a strange wind that also seemed to have no clear direction.

It all fit. The scene before her fit everything she had been taught about forbidden magic.

Jayden scowled through her tears. These men were the reason everyone was dead. And as she drew her sword she made a vow…

They would die, too. Even if she, Jayden River, had to go with them.

At that moment she charged the nearest group of the men, screaming as she lifted her sword high over her head, ignoring Jude's protests.

One of the men turned to face her, and began muttering under his breath. And at that moment her body went cold, and everything faded to blackness.


End file.
